Permanent registration only when FMGs comply with NMC guidelines: Andhra Medical Council

Vijayawada: Amid the continuous pleas and protests by the Foreign Medical Graduates in the State seeking permanent registration and a reduction in the internship period for those who compensated for their online classes, the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council has clarified that it is issuing permanent registrations to eligible FMGs who have complied with the NMC guidelines after receiving confirmation from the concerned Indian Embassies.

Further, the Council clarified that the Registrar of the Council does not have the authority to independently decide on the implementation of the NMC guidelines, adding that "any decisions must be made in accordance with the General Body of the Council."

This clarification came when recently the FMGs under the AIMSA FMSW submitted a representation to the Council. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that their demands included the issuance of Permanent Registrations for the FMGE December 2022 and FMGE June 2023 Batch, compliance with NMC notice dated 19.06.2024, registrations for students who graduated pre-COVID or entirely offline, recertification and internship allotments for FMGE June 2022 passouts, publication of FMG counselling guidelines, issuance of provisional registrations for current interns, equitable treatment in allotment orders and permanent registrations, appointments of APMC Chairman and full Board of council members etc.

However, on the same day, given the protest held on 28.01.2025, APMC issued a Press Note mentioned that the FMGs who approached the Council for permanent registration are those who completed part of their MBBS courses online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War and completed one year of internship in Andhra Pradesh.

Also Read: Andhra FMGs Oppose 3-year Internship, Protest Demanding Permanent Registration

Acknowledging that many FMGs returned back to their foreign universities and completed the remaining part of the course in offline mode, APMC also referred to the National Medical Commission's guidelines dated November 22, 2023, through which NMC had asked the FMGs who studied online during their final year to undergo two years of internship (one year of clinical clerkship and one year of internship). It was also mentioned that those who studied online during both penultimate and final years must complete three years of internship (Two year of clinical clerkship and one year of internship).

Referring to this, APMC added, "Some FMGs who are currently undergoing internship, have refused to comply with these instructions and have submitted representations, requesting acceptance of compensation letters obtained from their studied universities. However, the NMC clarified that the letters did not specify, the necessary details to verify adequate compensation for online studies and hence their request to issue Permanent Registrations will not be considered by the APMC. Furthermore, these FMGs had also submitted an undertaking letter during their counseling, stating that they would abide by the future guidelines if any issued by the NMC during their internship period."

"FMGs who have not sufficiently compensated for online study and are refusing to do an additional year of necessary internship, their Permanent Registrations placed on hold. A group of 25 FMGs has filed a writ petition in the Hon'ble High Court of Andhra Pradesh relating to these categories, the case is scheduled for hearing today i.e. on January 28, 2025," the Council further added in the Press Note.

It also referred to the NMC guidelines dated 19th November 2024, mandating that State Medical Councils verify the degrees of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) through the relevant Indian Embassy before granting PRs to them.

"Currently, the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) is issuing PRs to eligible FMGs who have complied with the NMC guidelines after receiving confirmation from the concerned Indian Embassies. The Registrar of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council does not have the authority to independently decide on the implementation of these guidelines. Any decisions must be made in accordance with the General Body of the Council," stated the Council.

"Correspondence between the APMC and the NMC is ongoing regarding these issues. The APMC is diligently implementing the NMC guidelines as issued from time to time," it added.

Reactions from FMGs:

While the medical graduates from abroad under the State branch of AIMSA FMSW acknowledged the Press Note from APMC regarding the extended internships, in this context, they expressed their disappointment that the Council did not address the core concerns that the association has consistently raised since 8 months through multiple channels.

"We are concerned that these critical issues, despite our repeated attempts to communicate them, have not received the necessary attention. We earnestly appeal to APMC to reconsider these matters and provide a positive resolution, demonstrating a commitment to rectifying the challenges faced by nearly 1100 FMG students in Andhra Pradesh," the association mentioned in a release.

One year Internship for Those Who compensated for Online Classes, Say FMGs:

Issuing a Press Note, the Association referred to NMC notices dated 09.05.2023, 22.11.2023 and 19.06.2024 to explain that the internship duration, as per the NMC guidelines, is 1 year for studies completed offline or with compensated online components, 2 years for those whose final year was online, and 3 years for those with both penultimate and final years online.

However, the FMGs claimed that APMC is assigning incorrect internship durations, frequently imposing 2-year or 3-year internships instead of the mandated 1 year, on numerous eligible students (96 students: 2 years instead of 1; 52 students: 3 years instead of 1; 14 students: 3 years instead of 2).

Referring to this, AIMSA-FMSW, Andhra Pradesh mentioned in the Press Note, "This deviation appears to stem from APMC's use of internal criteria based on online study duration (<6 months = 1 year; 6-18 months = 2 years; >18 months = 3 years), which directly contradicts NMC regulations."

"Adding to the problem, APMC has failed to release any public counseling guidelines, despite conducting five counseling sessions since the COVID-19 pandemic. This lack of transparency, unlike the practice in other states, creates significant confusion and uncertainty among FMGs. Furthermore, Permanent Registrations (PRs) are significantly delayed for students who completed their internships eight months ago, jeopardizing their postgraduate (PG) medical education applications with a rapidly approaching February 3rd deadline. Temporary registrations, essential for FMGs currently undertaking internships, have also not been issued," it added.

As per the association, despite repeated attempts by affected FMGs and their representatives to engage with APMC regarding these critical issues, the Council has remained unresponsive. "This lack of communication and action is exacerbating the difficulties faced by FMGs and hindering their career progression," argued the association.

Urging APMC to immediately address these discrepancies, align its practices with NMC guidelines, and provide clear and timely communication to the FMGs, the association clarified that "Our key to protest is FMGs who completed studies with valid compensation for online classes are eligible for 1-year internships per NMC guidelines mentioned above. Protesting students at APMC (28.01.2025) largely fall into this category. APMC has withheld PRs, assigned extra internship durations (2/3 years), and failed to issue TRs and NOCs, ignoring our repeated appeals."

Also Read: Andhra FMGs Protest In Front of Medical Council Office Demanding Permanent Registration